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On Friday, September 13, Justin Timberlake entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of driving while ability impaired. Timberlake, 43, was first charged with driving while intoxicated in June 2024.
He admitted to the lower charge of non-criminal offense, which comes with a $500 punishment, a $260 penalty, a community service requirement of 25 hours, and a notification to the public about safety. Additionally, during a hearing in August 2024, the court suspended Justin Timberlake's driver's license.
DWAI means Driving While Ability Impaired. When someone drives while under the influence of alcohol, illegal narcotics, or prescription medications, the term DWAI is used to describe what they did.
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According to records obtained by Fox News Digital, Justin Timberlake was pulled over by cops on June 18 and "performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests." Fox reported that when Timberlake was pulled over back in June, he was "unable to divide attention," had "bloodshot and glossy" eyes, and had a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath." He also reportedly declined three breathalyzer tests.
DWAIs are of three distinct types in state of New York
There are three distinct types of DWAIs in the state of New York. These three scenarios include driving when impaired by alcohol, driving when impaired by a single drug other than alcohol, and driving when impaired by both drugs and alcohol combined.
As per the 2024 NY Law Chapter 307, the first is New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192(1) violation of DWAI-Alcohol. It states that,
"No person shall operate a motor vehicle while the person's ability to operate a such motor vehicle is impaired by the consumption of alcohol."
A driver may face DWAI charges if their blood alcohol level is between 0.04 and 0.07 or if they provide proof of previous mental or physical impairment.
Additionally, DWAI-Alcohol charges carry a maximum fine and surcharge of $760 that must be paid to the court, as well as up to 15 days in jail, a 90-day driver's license suspension, and the requirement to complete the Impaired Driver Program offered by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
As per the same source, the second type of DWAI in the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1192(4) is known as DWAI-Drugs. The law specifically says that,
"No person shall operate a motor vehicle while the person's ability to operate such a motor vehicle is impaired by the use of a drug as defined in this chapter."
A first-time DWAI offender faces a range of penalties and consequences. This includes a maximum fine and surcharge of $1,400, up to 364 days in jail, three years of probation, a six-month license suspension, and the requirement to complete the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' Impaired Driver Program.
The same fines and penalties apply to DWAI-Drugs as they do to DWAI Combination.
In case of another DWAI within a ten-year period, the obligatory fine will rise to $5,000. The maximum sentence that might be served in prison is four years. Moreover, third-time offenders may be subject to $10,000 in fines, seven years in jail, and the permanent loss of their license.
If a person has been found guilty of several DWAIs during the previous ten years, they may face felony charges rather than misdemeanor ones. Additional penalties and maybe jail time will also follow from this.
Justin Timberlake makes a public safety statement and apologizes outside the court
According to the Associated Press, Justin Timberlake expressed “regret” for the events that happened during the Friday hearings, saying that he "did not live up to the standards" that he holds for himself.
He said,
“Many of you have probably been covering me for a lot of my life, and as you may know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself. And this was not that. I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision.”
Addressing the public, Justin Timberlake said they could learn from the error of his ways.
“To everyone watching and listening, even if you had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives — call a friend, take an Uber ... take a taxi....I'm hoping whoever's watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”
He expressed regret over his actions and thanked the people of Sag Harbor and everyone else involved. Apart from this, the NSYNC singer didn’t say anything else.
Justin Timberlake is currently on a world tour, and his next show is at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on September 28.
